Now and Then
by herfrostyx
Summary: X Drake is in alliance with Trafalgar Law to infiltrate and destroy Kaido. However, their alliance faces complication when Eustass Kid got captured by the Yonko
1. Act I: Voice

That denden mushi wasn't supposed to ring. Not today, nor next week. Probably not even next month. But it still rang regardless; the snail was awakened and ringing continuously, not aware of Drake's confusion of the error in timing. Besides, if it really had to ring, it was supposed to be in the middle of the night, the agreed time for them to communicate during the mission. Not so early in the day, where the first light of the sun was just breaking far in the east, among eternal winter island clouds that Drake had got used to.

Thus, Drake spent one good minute frozen on the spot, gawking at the snail that had been asleep most of the time for the last one year and six months.

Something must have had happened. Something really bad.

After putting some time to regaining composure, Drake finally picked up the receiver, putting it close to his mouth as he fixed his eyes on the snail.

Its eyes were turned wide open, mimicking the guy on the other side. Drake almost slammed the receiver back to hang up the phone, believing that their secret communication device was hijacked. Never, never in his life had he ever seen that man with an expression so distraught and so fearful. The snail must have been hijacked. There was no other explanation for the error in timing and in the snail's expression.

But then, he heard a familiar voice from the device.

"White City harboring to Minion Island," were the exact words that kept him from breaking the connection and eliminating the snail altogether. Drake froze on the spot, not having any other choice but to answer the other man.

"Minion Island copy," he finally replied, almost forgetting that he must confirm with his own answer so they both can be convinced that they are speaking on a secure line. "Doctor, is that you?"

"Yes, Admiral, it is me," the other man replied, sounding impatient. Another error on the whole scene. "There is a complication to our plan. We need to talk in person. Meet me someplace safe of your choice tonight at 11. Make sure nobody follows you."

Drake narrowed his eyes. No, this felt so wrong. Even though the voice was right, everything else about the other man on the phone was in the wrong. He wasn't supposed to sound so distraught, so impatient… so out of breath. The expression that the snail mirrored was also quite strange. It shouldn't give an impression that the man hadn't slept for two days in a row, because Drake had seen him doing exactly that, and the man still look like a normal person, if he ignored the permanent panda eyes under his eyes.

"Can I bring any of my crew?" Drake asked cautiously.

"Nobody can follow you," the voice repeated, every word was dripping with forced affirmation, as if the man lost his patience. "Tonight at 11, Admiral."

"Very well, but I will not mention the place," Drake replied, still somewhat cautious if the man on the other side was an imposter. "Follow my vivre card instead."

There. If this man was an imposter, he wouldn't show up. Drake gave a vivre card to a very small number of people, the ones that he trusts with his life.

"Fair enough," The man replied, and then he break the connection.

Drake was left with his own thoughts then. Assumptions came to his mind one after another, each one was getting worse than the other. The orange haired man could feel his heart beat faster with the fear of the unknown as he agonized over what could go wrong in their plan of taking down Kaido. Sure, Strawhat was not supposed to be involved in the plan, and Doflamingo was not supposed to be captured by The Marines. But the SAD factory was destroyed, Dressrosa was freed, and from what he heard, Caesar Clown's whereabouts were still unknown. There was no way Kaido could still make an artificial devil fruit right now. His supply was cut thoroughly.

Their grand plan was still intact. So what went wrong?

Drake stared at the sleeping snail once again. The smiley Jolly Roger on its chest glared back at him, grinning in a mischievous way that made Drake's mind wander to the first time he saw the symbol. _Two years and three months ago_.

 **-n-n-n-n-n-n-n**

The symbol was printed on the yellow T-Shirt proudly. Drake could tell it was painted manually by hand at first glance. The circle was not perfect, and the lines that made for its teeth were inconsistent. However, the young man who wore it was far more intriguing than what looked like a Pirate Crew Jolly Roger. Even from a good distance, his steely grey eyes bore holes through him. A mischievous grin was spread on his lips, mirroring the symbol's expression.

"Welcome to Minion Island, Rear Admiral," he said as Drake stepped inside the cheap bar. With his opponent's voice and body language screaming confidence, Drake decided to stay calm until knew more about the lean young man in front of him. From all he could tell at first glance, the raven haired man couldn't be more than 25 years old. He looked rather slim, but from his time training younger soldiers in Marine Academy, Drake knew better not to underestimate the tattooed man's strength.

"Where is everyone?" Drake could remember asking coldly, too tired and impatient to free everyone in that island. Timing was of the essence, and if he had to fight this man, he would have no time to run before the reinforcement fleet sent by North Blue Marine Base came. If they saw what he did to the island and the people inside it, they would instantly put two and two together and Drake would have to kill them to keep them quiet. He would rather be not forced to kill his ex-coworkers right after he betrayed them, thank you very much.

The man raised his chin challengingly as he spoke with a low voice. "Everyone the Marines are trying to eliminate?" he asked.

"My intention towards them is none of your business, boy," Drake gritted his teeth. "I'm gonna repeat it once. Where is everyone?"

The man tilted his head. "In the last few months, Marines had been coming to this island to evacuate the people. They started to spread a news about this island being dangerous but when they could not provide any proof, they started to bribe people to leave this island. Again, the people of this island refused to leave their home. Therefore, The Marines started to create a plan to remove this island from existence so they can start to build a secret base, used specifically to train spies and plan espionage. Good number of Marine battleships are closing in to this island as we speak."

The young man said all this with a lazy tone, as if challenging him with the disclosed information. Drake raised his eyebrows, his hands were placed on his weapons as he felt an intimidating aura from the other man. It might be his animal side kicking in, but Drake always had a great sense of danger, even before he fully mastered his Observation Haki.

"Where did you hear that, young man?"

The man glanced at Drake, grinning as Drake realized that it was all he needed to confirm his theory. "It is true, then."

"Where is everybody?" Drake ignored his question, heart pounding as time was running out. He could practically hear the engine of the battleships closing in.

"Are you here to execute them then, Rear Admiral Diez Drake?"

The sound of his name from the other's low voice caused some sort of effect on Drake. He blinked, shocked at how that voice could have such impact on him that he couldn't quite understand. Did he just… mock him? Yeah, he might have. Even though it sounded like a politeness at first, Drake was sure that this lean man, without any visible weapon around, was actually challenging him; a man dressed in Marine uniform, with a high rank jacket draped over his shoulders, and an axe hanging beside him. There was no indication of fear in his body language, nor in his voice.

That man was indeed challenging him.

"No, I'm here to save Ikkaku and Clione from being murdered on the wave of battleships that won't give two shits about their lives, and take them in under my wing," he said, heart pounding as he could practically feel the watch in his pocket ticking faster.

"They have learned their place, Admiral. And it's not in the organization that took their grandma's life in the first place," the man looked up on Drake and grinned. Again, a slight hint of mockery showed in his voice. This nameless man truly had no fear.

At that, Drake grinned. That was what it took to finally admit what he had been planning in the past six months. The mocking tone in that low, confident voice was making his heart pump faster as he finally grinned, turning back the element of surprise to the perfectly composed man in front of him. "You're right, boy. The Marines is not a place for the likes of them. That's why I'm going to recruit them to my pirate crew," he said triumphantly. Once the words left his mouth, Drake felt the burden of keeping his secret and all caution lift from his shoulder at once, leaving him free for the first time since he started to think of leaving the marines - that corrupted organization - to pursue piracy.

To his satisfaction, Drake could see shock flashed on the other man's expression, and even if it didn't last for a second, it was more than worth it. "My, what a surprise," he said. "Finally see how disgustingly corrupted The Marine is?"

"Up close," Drake admitted. "And I'm not gonna see this island turned into a place of massacre again. Now tell me, boy. Where are they? I promised to pick them up…"

Before Drake could finish his sentence, an explosion could be heard, causing the ground to shake a little. The man got up from his seat, not losing an inch of his grin. "That's my cue," he said, not even sounding afraid of the possibility that that place would soon be a battleground. "And I wouldn't worry about Ikkaku and Clione now, Drake-ya. They are already safe and sound. In fact, they're about to set sail with another Pirate Crew."

"Yeah? And whose crew that might be?"

"Mine," the man turned and glanced at Drake over his shoulder, showing another grinning Jolly Roger painted on his back. "Trafalgar Law, Captain of Heart Pirates," he smirked smugly, satisfaction dripping from his voice before he walked further. "See you later, Captain Drake. We shall meet again in the sea."


	2. Act II: Gaze

_this fic is betaed by my good friend Eddie ( .com) and WordsandWonder from KidLaw chat! Thanks to those two and I owe them a lot :)_

* * *

There was something about the urgency that left Drake feeling anxious the whole day, making him think about the forthcoming appointment a little bit too much during his time guarding his post on the winter island where he was stationed. He was not usually the type who would ponder over the future, but something in the snail's gaze, that surely mimicked Law's, disturbed him and left him restless. Luckily, nothing happened during the day, therefore he could leave for the nearby Summer Island a little earlier than the previously arranged time.

However, leaving early meant that he had more spare time before Law arrived on the island. Drake decided to sit on the top of an abandoned castle in the middle of the forest, staring at the clear sky full of stars, the constellations he knew too well. For a brief moment, he could feel as though weight was lifted from his mind as he focused on the tiny blinking lights. It was interesting how people could look up and glance at them only to turn away, ignorant to the fact that those innocent lights in the sky were the ones that pulled the strings of the earth. As Drake always believed, they were responsible for the chaos and the order that graced their world.

Although, he did wonder why the constellation never changed, now that he and Law were about to change their plan, and that might change the course of history. Perhaps it had changed, but he hadn't noticed?

Before he could think of an answer, his attention was diverted as he saw a dimming blue light covering the clear black sky. The color was so strange, so muddy that Drake's heart instantly jumped when he realized what… Or rather, _who_ that might be.

Out of nowhere, a raven haired man appeared in front of him, right at the place where a huge chunk of the abandoned castle's debris sat a few minutes ago. His steely grey eyes looked so intense and scary as he unsheathed his nodachi, pointing the sharp edge in Drake's direction. On impulse, Drake jumped back and unsheathed his sword as well, dodging in time before the nodachi could even come close to his neck. Drake could see anger leaking from the raven haired man's eyes, melting down like a lava would, even if the man's expression remained calm.

"There's a reason why creating a room takes up so much of my energy, _Admiral_ ," he hissed, every word laced with suppressed fury. "It is because I am aware of _every. Single. Thing_ inside the room I create, and since I am now covering the whole area of this pathetic little island with it, I can hear the heartbeat of your fucking minions."

The snail didn't lie. Law was indeed distraught. Drake could only see it in his eyes, but that was enough to confirm it.

"Yes, I brought them along," Drake admitted calmly. "They're out of our hearing range, though. They couldn't possibly hear us."

"That was hardly my point!" Law insisted. He swung his sword once, only for Drake to block it with his axe. "You brought them even though I specifically told you not to. You didn't respect our agreement."

 _You didn't trust me_ , was what Law meant with those words. Drake closed his eyes and sighed. "I had to be prepared. You didn't sound like _you_ on the denden mushi," he admitted. "And you hardly act like you. Even right now. I'm just being a little cautious. This is New World, and we play a dangerous game. Who knows if someone managed to obtain Bon Kurei's Copy Copy Fruit power and is pretending to be you?"

At that, Law finally withdrew and sheathed his nodachi. Drake relaxed from his defensive mode, still looking at Law, who looked like he hadn't slept at all these past few days.

"I can send Pitero and Veloci on their way, now I know it's really you."

Law wiped his face, sighing. "No, you don't have to," he sighed, his eyes flashing an apology once they were free from the shadow of his tattooed fingers. "You have a point there. And to be fair, I also have two of my men on a small boat in the north part of the island."

"Your men wear your jolly roger?"

"They're in disguise," Law replied. "I usually wouldn't call on such short notice, Drake-ya. But there's a complication in our plan that requires immediate action. I need to discuss with you in person to find out how much chance we have of executing this."

Drake nodded, feeling as if he was watching Law slowly crumble down further by the minute. He knew this man, and he didn't like what this… _complication_ was doing to him, to _his eyes_. The confidence and fearlessness that once defined him had now gone, replaced by a distressed skeleton with eyes like storm clouds. They looked dark, gloomy, and flashed panic every once in awhile.

It's amazing how tiny orbs of grey could tell so much of the story that his face refused to.

"Tell me this… _complication_."

"Eustass Kid," Law finally spoke, with a flash of panic once again showed. "He was captured by Kaido."

At that, Drake raised an eyebrow. Eustass Kid. His fellow _Supernova_. A man so reckless and so proud, he had himself captured because he refused to surrender. He threw a confused look to Law. What does that man have to do with their grand plan? Why is it important for Law to know of his well being?

Law seemed to have too many questions to answer one of Drake's. "Is he alive?"

"From what I heard? Barely. He had been tortured."

Drake could almost hear Law's fingers clenching his nodachi. "How?"

"There were rumors at the base, but I haven't exactly seen him with my own eyes," Drake replied. "And I will, once I leave this island - But how is Eustass Kid a complication in our grand plan of taking down Master Kaido?"

"Because he is our ally, and he has to be out of Kaido's lair for us to make the plan work," Law replied, much to the orange haired man's surprise. Sure, they had agreed to form an alliance with one mutual goal, and given how dangerous the plan was, they had also agreed to do whatever it took for their plan to succeed, but he didn't expect Law to go around and recruit other pirate captains like recruiting soldiers. The very dangerous ones too, those who survived Grand Line and did not do so by mere luck.

"Oh," Drake replied. "The number of your _allies_ had grown significantly."

Law threw a dangerous glare. "Strawhat-ya got the job done. If it wasn't for his aid, I would not be making much progress with eliminating Smile and SAD altogether," he hissed. "And so will Eustass, once we free him. I already have his crew with me, including Killer-ya. We just need to take Eustass to continue this plan."

"But why?" Drake asked. "Why do you need more allies, Law? And _Eustass Kid_. He's dangerous and uncontrollable."

Law shook his head. "We have had an alliance formed ever since we met in Sabaody. You can trust that they won't betray us. Especially not when his entire crew are dying to get their revenge on Kaido," he answered calmly, but something in his voice indicating an impatience, so Drake allowed the man to continue. "Besides, with the current complications we face, we need more raw power on our side. Kaido's wrath is aimed toward me and Strawhat-ya instead of Doflamingo, now that he has been captured by The Marines. We have to face the beast head on now, so we need all hands on deck to beat him, so to speak."

Drake wanted to object. He wanted to point out the fact that this _raw power_ Law talked about had been beaten by Kaido single handedly, and was now at his master's mercy, but fighting Law was never wise. Besides, Law had proved too many times that he was capable of carrying out such dangerous plan, that Drake had no choice but to put his faith in the raven haired man.

"You want me to break Eustass Kid out of his imprisonment," he concluded

"Preferably without exposing yourself in the process. I have thought of some plans that might work, but I need information about Eustass-ya's cell, his health, the guard rotation, and your considerations..." Law paused for a brief moment. "For this plan to work, I need your input. I need… you to make this plan with me. Because I'm not going to be able to live with it if you're exposed or getting into trouble. This is really dangerous, Drake-ya, and if you feel any hesitation that this might not work, then please do tell me."

There were an uncomfortable rush in Law's voice. Something dangerous and yet heartbreaking in his gaze, that Drake just nodded and decided to give in to his request. "It's fine. We can do it," he said, praying that Law wouldn't see how unsure he was about this plan, but Law was a great tactician, and he a trained spy. He had been a spy even before his time in The Marines. So maybe, just maybe they could pull this off.

Taking a breath, Drake explained what he already knew about the base and Eustass Kid's imprisonment. He was stationed outside Kaido's main base, so he didn't know the exact condition and location of Eustass Kid's prison, but he explained the guard rotation, since he knew some of the guys who were assigned to guard Eustass Kid. The whole time he was explaining, Law paid full attention to him, eyes never straying and head filled with thoughts as words filled his ears. Drake knew that face too well. He knew that Law was thinking as he spoke, and think, he does. When it was Law's turn to speak his thoughts, Drake couldn't help but once again amazed by his thinking.

When they finally ended the conversation with respective to do lists to carry the plan, they agreed to meet again at the same place and time the next day. There was an awkward pause as they both finished talking and shared a gaze. Drake tried to decode what's Law look meant, or better yet, what he was thinking in their shared silence, but before he could get anything at all, Law eventually broke eye contact to turn and walk away from the scene.

"I'll see you later," he said. "Be careful."

Drake's eyes widened, shocked from the sudden departure. He wanted to see more of Law. He wanted to reach for him, to feel his skin, to learn about his mission in infiltrating Caesar Clown's laboratories and defeating Doflamingo, the only man he seemed to hate with passion. Drake wanted everything that Law saw, that he felt, and on top of all, he wanted to see every single injury Law obtained fighting the Heavenly Demon, but the situation was very serious, and Drake had learned that Law was unshakable in such conditions. He stepped forwards to reach for Law, but stopped himself and called for him instead.

"Hey, Law,"

The raven haired man froze, eyes glancing over his shoulder as Drake cleared his throat, not knowing why he even called him.

"I'll take care of this."

Law stared at Drake for a few moments, before sighing and letting out a smile that almost made Drake feel triumphant. The caramel skinned man nodded, relief evident in his eyes as he turned his gaze back to the bigger supernova. "I will get some rest now, then," he stated. The words were spoken with a low tone, but it made Drake feel proud of himself, because even though the words might not give much away, his eyes showed trust.

The supernova stared at the surgeon's back as he moved away from him, and his mind couldn't help but linger on the smile, and the skin beneath that black shirt he wore.

 _ **-n-**_

Drake found himself remembering how the surgeon's bare back looked. It was well toned, tanned, and, like most part of his upper body, covered with ink. However, unlike the other tattoos he had, the shape of the back piece could easily be understood at first glance.

The orange haired man leant forward, touching sweaty inked skin with his equally sweaty hands. Even though it all felt so soft, it also felt a little cold-probably due to drying sweat, but Drake loved it regardless. He ran his hand over the tattoo, tracing its pattern.

Law had frozen at the touch as he turned his attention to Drake, lips forming a small tired smile that suggested he was quite content. The kind of smile that Drake often saw on people after a good fuck. The raven haired man pressed himself to Drake's touch, giving him permission he did not even ask for.

"How long have you been awake?" Drake asked.

"Not long."

Law offered no other explanation, only sighing at the other's hand roaming to his neck, connecting the dots all across Law's back that were the marks and bites left from their previous session.

"Of all the places you could tattoo your Jolly Roger."

Law gave a low chuckle. "It was not meant for my eyes to see," he replied. "It was meant for my enemies to remember."

"And for your crew to remember to whom their loyalty should lay, hm?" Drake replied, too content to actually censor his thoughts or to think of a more decent way to word it, but he had decided that he didn't care. He felt too good to let it be ruined by some stupid overthinking. In fact, he never felt this good before. _Sex_ had never felt so good. Not in his life as pirate, nor in his time with the Marines. Perhaps he was not too selective when it came to choosing partners in the past, or Law just simply knew things about him and his body that both he and previous partners never discovered.

However, judging from how relaxed Law was, Drake was pretty sure that the feeling was mutual.

He continued absentmindedly tracing invisible lines across Law's back and all of a sudden, he realized that he was creating Ophiuchus out of those marks. It was strange, because he only saw that constellation twice in his life. Ophiuchus. The man who holds a serpent.

It suited him so well, because of all the things he could hold, that man chose something dangerous.

Something like an _alliance_.

It was usually a game for veteran pirates, those who had travelled to the hellish seas of the New World, and finally realized that the luck that made them survive the first part of Grand Line was quickly running out. Pirate crews who had just set sail tended to have too much pride to even think about it. Even if Pirates were to form an alliance before the New World, it was usually done for a short term. Afterall, a pirate alliance was a dangerous game to play. It's like holding a poisonous serpent in your hand─you never knew when the serpent would betray you - not to mention that it could be easier for The Marines to locate and capture them all at once if they're not careful.

Then here was this young rookie, who had never sailed oceans past North Blue before, proposing an alliance so early in his pirate career that Drake couldn't help but think that this _Surgeon of Death_ was just playing with him.

"This is a dangerous game you play, Trafalgar Law."

Law chuckled softly. "What, getting in bed with rival captain?"

"Alliance," Drake whispered, fingers never leaving the tanned skin as he whispered. "I have seen hundreds of Pirate Alliances before. I was part of at least half of those alliances, infiltrating them to break things off so The Marines could destroy both crews easily. It takes just a little provocation, and they turn and destroy each other. None of them ever go well."

"I didn't know The Marines have special task force to eliminate Pirate Alliances."

"They have. In fact, those missions were what gained me the Rear Admiral rank," Drake stated calmly. "Allied pirates are the worst, Trafalgar Law. When two powers combine, it could destroy an island, hurting civilians, or disturb The Marine's agenda, but they are also more vulnerable. They have doubt towards each other, they know each other's weakness. I used to break them like that before sending a fleet to finish whatever was left."

Law turned to Drake completely, crawling towards the orange haired man, grinning challengingly. His eyes stared deep into his soul, making Drake feel even more than naked under the steely gaze.

"Then, I chose the right person to be my ally," he whispered, sounding as tempting as he was before. "You'll notice if a spy from The Marines tried to provoke things between us, hm?"

"From The Marines, and from other parties, yes," Drake answered, swallowing his saliva. It still intrigued him how a pair of eyes could literally make him drool. "The key is to lay low and never contact each other using our real identity. If no one knows that we're allied, they wouldn't… uh…" the orange haired man wasn't capable of finishing his own sentence, for the smaller man's presence flooded his senses─his gaze, so close and so deep, pulling Drake inside a baseless pit of desire. His sultry voice… the smell of his skin…

Words left his brain altogether when Law landed a kiss right on the X shaped scar on Drake's chin.

"See? The right person," Law whispered.

"Still, Trafalgar Law. I might betray you in the future."

"I don't think so. I have Ikkaku and Clione in my crew. You won't hurt them, right?"

"How do I know that you won't betray me?"

"Is _this_ not convincing enough?" Law asked teasingly, causing Drake to let out a soft chuckle. Lazy arousal was starting to bloom in his abdomen, but he ignored it and instead decided to brush his thumb on Law's goatee, keeping him so close, that the ex-Marine could literally breathe the smaller man's breath.

"Do you usually sleep with other Pirate Captains just to gain their favor?" he asked, trying to fight back the desire lingering in the back of his mind.

"Only the most attractive ones," Law gave him a smirk that was asking to be wiped away by another kiss. Trafalgar Law really did have a smart mouth, for words and for other things. Drake just couldn't really decide right now which one was most intriguing. Not when Law was so close, so exposed, and so tempting.

However, his curiosity over Law's vague answer got the best of him. "Do I have competition then?"

"As of now, no. And I don't plan to. You are sufficient for the mission. With all the espionage history and your… _controlled_ power," the hatted man reached out to Drake, palms finding the older Captain's biceps as he brought their face closer, his nose ghosting over Drake's cheek. "Get it?"

The orange haired man stifled a laugh at the smaller man's action. "You know you could test my strength with a fight, right?"

"True, but what's the fun in that," Law chuckled. "As a man that spent 6 years longer at sea, I guess you should have known that it gets so lonely sometimes."

"Hm," Drake smiled as he captured the other man's lips once again, engaging in lazy kisses that made him want to pull him back to bed. However, Law had another thought. He pulled himself away from Drake, breaking the kiss with a lick that made the orange haired man groan.

"Play time's over," he grinned teasingly as he collected his clothes that were scattered across the floor and put them back on. "Go get dressed and find me in the hull. I need to discuss the backup plan."

"Can't it wait for another hour?"

Law chuckled, but shook his head anyway. "We're about to infiltrate a Yonko and his affiliated organization," Law stated in a less teasing, more warning tone that made Drake groan internally. So much for lazy time. "We need all the hours we can get if we want to make it out alive."

The surgeon stepped out of the room, forcing Drake to finally get up and get dressed himself. When he finally arrived at the hull of Trafalgar Law's submarine, it was already filled with maps, papers, and photographs that were obviously cuttings from news articles or bounty posters. Law was explaining something to one of his men, one who wore a hat that looked like a whale, while Pitero sat across the room, clearly glaring at a red mark that popped under Law's collar.

There was no longer a teasing tone, no longer a seductive gaze. The man that was all over him in the bedroom just now had gone full tactician as he turned to Drake, explaining his part of a plan that was so smart, so calculated, and well prepared.

Three words that might as well be translated as Trafalgar Law.


End file.
